Filament opened with a splash at the end of 2015 and drew favorable notice from pretty much everybody. Its menu was ambitious and occasionally globe-hopping, but now some of our fondest Filament friends are the simplest preparations: grits in pot liquor, deviled eggs, cobblers.

And then there’s that Hoppin’ John. Hoo boy. It couldn’t be simpler: black eyed peas, rice, finely-chopped green onions, a dash of salt. But Filament’s rendition is especially addicting in combination with the restaurant’s house-brewed hot sauce, made with Fresno chili peppers and aged in bourbon barrels. Even without hot sauce, the humble Hoppin’ John steals attention away from Filament’s meaty main courses, but with that extra vinegary kick, it’s perfection.

Brian Reinhart has been the Dallas Observer's food critic since spring 2016. In addition, he writes baseball analysis for the Hardball Times and covers classical music for the Observer and MusicWeb International.